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Motorbikers riding in heavy smog in New Delhi, India
Image: Hindustan Times/imago imagesImage: Hindustan Times/imago images

Pollution

Pollution can take many forms. But most agree that pollution is harmful for people and other life on Earth — whether dirty air, water or solid waste. What is more controversial is how to best prevent it and clean it up.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

Illegal mining — polluting Ghana's rivers and land

Illegal mining — polluting Ghana's rivers and land

Ghana's youths rely on illegal mining for work, a practice that has polluted both land and water bodies.
SocietyDecember 23, 202402:46 min
DW Sendung Eco India | #310

Curbing air pollution in Kolkata, India

Curbing air pollution in Kolkata, India

The city of Kolkata has been witnessing alarming winter air pollution levels. What is the government doing about it?
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 16, 202406:13 min
Waste pickers Salmaa and Usmaan Sheikh search for recyclable materials at a landfill site on the outskirts of Jammu, India, during a heatwave. Sheikh and his family are among the millions of people in India who earn their living by searching for and selling recyclable waste.

Plastic pollution: No end in sight to growing problem

Plastic pollution: No end in sight to growing problem

Plastic waste is everywhere — production is growing rapidly, and with it the dangers for people and the environment.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 15, 20249 images
A solitary oil well in the middle of an agricultural field

Cleaning up a toxic legacy, one oil well at a time

Cleaning up a toxic legacy, one oil well at a time

Countless abandoned US oil wells are leaking methane and other toxic gases. One NGO is working to cap these wells.
ClimateDecember 11, 202404:30 min
A photo of a saxual tree surrounded by desert

Bringing life back to Central Asia's desertified Aral Sea

Bringing life back to Central Asia's desertified Aral Sea

The Aral's ecosystem was devastated during the Soviet era. Now ecologists are planting trees where water once lapped.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 10, 2024
Young activist Ketsia talks to rapper Shiii about climate change.

Congolese activist shifts climate views with collective acts

Congolese activist shifts climate views with collective acts

In Kinshasa, a young activist is working to change attitudes to waste and the climate crisis.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 6, 202404:45 min
Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

People on boats collect recyclable plastics from the heavily polluted Citarum River at Batujajar in Bandung, West Java

Can a global treaty clean up plastic waste?

The final round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty will look to rapidly cut surging plastic pollution.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 25, 2024
Workers in Malaysia open the doors of a plastics waste shipment

Malaysia struggles to halt European plastic waste imports

Malaysia is one of Europe's top dumping grounds for plastic waste. Will the EU's upcoming export ban make a difference?
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 3, 2024
A photo of central New Delhi covered in a smoggy haze

India: Diwali fireworks renew air pollution debate in Delhi

Every year, Delhi celebrates the festival of Diwali by lighting fireworks, sending the thick smog to toxic levels.
ClimateOctober 29, 2024
A bronze-winged jacana looks for food surrounded by blooming white water lily flowers

UN biodiversity talks: Is the world at a tipping point?

Species are vanishing at an alarming rate, threatening human food supply, health and security.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 21, 2024
Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr holding the German Africa Prize next to German Bundestag President Bärbel Bas

Sierra Leone: Eco-friendly mayor wins German Africa Prize

The German Africa Foundation honors Freetown's mayor for her outstanding commitment to urban development.
PoliticsOctober 16, 2024
View of a street with large painted flower pots and two cyclists

Colombian capital Bogota combats traffic congestion

Officials are working with residents and businesses to keep cars out of neighborhoods.
SocietyOctober 5, 202406:51 min
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